The Prairie du Chien Country Club played host to a WIAA Cross Country D3 Sectional Meet this past Saturday afternoon, and a pair of local runners qualified for the upcoming state cross country meet at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.

Prairie du Chien senior Sam Kramer erased three years of close calls by finishing fifth in the boys race in a time of 17:17 to become one of the first five runners not on a qualifying team to claim a spot in the state meet. Kramer’s qualification also broke a 33-year drought for PdC Boys Cross Country as he is the program’s first state qualifier since Randy Bunders in 1992.

River Ridge sophomore foreign exchange student Alix Van Butsele continued her terrific season by placing fifth in the girls race in a time of 19:44 to earn her first career trip to the state meet. 

Van Butsele has helped the River Ridge girls team reach new heights this season. The Timberwolves last week claimed their first ever conference championship as a team since its inception in 2017 with Van Butsele earning an individual conference title when she placed first in a time of 23:33. River Ridge placed fifth as a team with 138 points at this past Saturday’s sectional meet, their highest team finish in program history.

Returning to the boys race, the Hawks finished in sixth place out of 23 teams with 173 points. Following Kramer was sophomore Landon Smith in 16th place in a time of 18:04. Smith’s day was just beginning as he started for the PdC/Wauzeka-Steuben/Youth Initiative Boys Soccer team in their D3 regional final match at Fort Atkinson a handful of hours later.

The third PdC boys runner to finish was junior Lane Henderson in 25th place in a time of 18:32. He was followed by sophomore Kaden Kvamme in 61st place (20:02), senior Joey Kramer in 66th place (20:24), freshman Matthew Kramer in 89th place (22:16) and senior Caleb Mezera in 94th place (22:43).

Finishing in 14th place as a team was Wauzeka-Steuben with 336 points. The Hornets top runner was junior Nolan Reed-Mullikin in 28th place (18:37). He was followed by senior Wyatt Mullikin in 55th place (19:41), sophomore Cody Wagner in 74th place (20:37), senior Theo Millin in 88th place (22:14), sophomore Bentley Dums in 91st place (22:33) and freshman Brody Bunders in 96th place (22:46).

The girls race saw the Hornet girls earn a seventh place finish out of 18 teams with 234 points. Wauzeka-Steuben was led by senior Emma Udelhoven in 32nd place (22:29), senior Natalie Wright in 42nd place (23:07), senior Leah Peralta in 46th place (23:51), sophomore Stella Walz in 54th place (24:09), sophomore Alayna Martin in 59th place (24:47), junior Mallory McCullick in 71st place (25:46) and ninth-grader Abby Wright in 76th place (26:25). Unable to compete due to injury for the Hornets was senior Isabella Bunders.

The PdC girls team scored 277 points to finish in 11th place as a team. The Hawks were led individually by sophomore Kennady Fradette in 29th place (22:14), junior Karly Kramer in 36th place (22:54), senior Kate Gebhard in 66th place (25:24), sophomore Mairany Morales in 72nd place (25:47), sophomore Kayli Schnitzler in 74th place (25:53), junior Autumn Ziegler in 77th place (26:34) and ninth-grader Mya Mahr in 88th place (30:02).

Kramer and Van Butsele will race this Saturday at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Kramer will race first in the D3 boys race at noon while Van Butsele will race at 1:45 p.m.